After the Restart:A Season 4 Musical Extravaganza!
by trisanamcgraw
Summary: In lieu of MFE's rumored S4 musical episode, I've created one of my own set between S34. But I didn't write any of the songs. Who do you think I am, anyway, Joss Whedon?
1. Act I

****

Author's Note: So many fanfics have been written and so many stories have been told about what happened "after the restart." How did the Mainframers readjust to their lives and the very new circumstances once their home had been restored? Even though I've already written a fanfic concerning this plotline, I decided to take another stab at it; and why not give it a bit of a twist by putting it in musical form? After all, music is the best form of self-expression; and the Mainframers have _a lot_ of expressing to do!

In some circumstances, I had to cut and paste parts of songs and sometimes modify lyrics to fit into the situations. With some songs, the lyrics _had_ to be fixed, or they would be out of place in the specific situation. If I have offended anyone by changing the songs and maybe diminishing the original meanings, I apologize. (As for the songs, none of them are in any way mine, or by me, etc. You can find the song titles/artists in the songlist at the end of the fic.)

One of my beta-readers was wondering exactly _why_ the Mainframers are singing out their troubles. Here's my best answer: There _isn't_ a reason! It's a musical; they just sing, and nobody gives a damn. :)

**__**

After The Restart: A Season Four Musical Extravaganza!

By Trisana McGraw

The system was restored; everyone was happy. So what was Matrix's problem?

The others were enjoying the party in the Diner, but the renegade lingered outside, reluctant to join the celebration.

Of course he was happy to be home, he hastily assured himself — this was what he had dreamed of for twelve hours! _But maybe that's the problem,_ he thought. _I've gone so long trying to get home, and now it's not what I thought._ That was an understatement: Matrix hadn't been expecting that he would feel so out of place in his _home_; that Ray would still be with them; that he would have a back-up to haunt him as he tried to adjust.

Matrix's problem was this: They had come home and saved Mainframe, but things hadn't shifted into place yet. They would never be the same.

Matrix felt a small yearning for the life he had had for what seemed so short a time. It embarrassed him, but it was there, and even stronger now that he saw Enzo, and how much _he_ fit into life now.

Matrix sighed and looked up at the darkening-blue sky. From where he stood, he could hear the sounds of the party.

"It's so wonderful," AndrAIa sighed.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Enzo agreed.

A few more replies of ". . . Wonderful"; then Dot's contented sigh:

"Isn't it _wonderful_ now?"

Matrix leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He swallowed once and began to sing. 

****

"I close my eyes when I get too sad. 

I think thoughts that I know are bad.

Close my eyes and I count to ten;

Hope it's over when I open them.

**__**

"I want the things that I had before 

Like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door.

I wish I could count to ten;

Make everything be wonderful again.

**__**

"Lost my mom and I lost my dad.

Lost my home; it made me so mad.

All my life I've screamed, and I always fight.

But when I get home it makes me wanna cry.

**__**

"Close my eyes when I go to bed

And I dream of DrAIa who makes me smile

I feel better when I hear her say, 

Everything will be wonderful someday.'

**__**

"Promises mean everything when you're little and the world's so big 

I just don't understand how you can smile with all those tears in your eyes. 

Tell me everything is wonderful now.

**__**

"Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now," Matrix whispered, feeling his throat grow tight. He looked down at the ground and was silent.

Enzo quietly opened the Diner door and crept outside. He stopped short in surprise when he saw Matrix. Fascinated by the sprite who had been in their system for only a short while before the restart — that was what Dot had told him — he was even more intrigued to see Matrix's head bent with heavy emotion.

__

There's that strange sprite, he thought. _I don't know a lot about him. He's always so unhappy; and he never smiles — what's up with that? _Determined to figure out what was wrong with the sprite, Enzo remained in his spot to watch.

After a millisecond had passed and Matrix had made no movement, Enzo gave up. The boy silently sat down against the Diner's wall and hugged his arms around himself. _What's Matrix's problem, anyway?_ Enzo thought. _It's not like _I_ have the easiest life, either_. At his thought, memories surfaced in his mind, of times after the destruction of the Twin City. In those tough cycles, he had fought to act normal but found that he just couldn't fit in with the others.

**__**

"I go to school and I run and play

I tell the kids that it's all okay

I laugh aloud so my friends won't know 

When the bell rings I just don't wanna go home.

"Go to my room and I close my eyes

I make believe that I have a new life

I don't believe you when you say, 

Everything will be wonderful someday.'

"Promises mean everything when you're little and the world is so big

I just don't understand how 

You can smile with all those tears in your eyes 

When you tell me everything is wonderful now.

**__**

"No.

No, I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now," Enzo repeated.

****

"No.

No, I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now," Matrix sang.

Enzo's hands balled into fists, and he whispered, **_"I don't wanna hear you say that I will understand someday. No, no, no, no,"_** he hissed, frustrated.

****

Matrix's thoughts turned to his younger self. How could he _ever_ have been like that — that weak, horribly naïve brat? Even now, the kid was pestering any sprite that breathed to tell him about what happened during the war. Dot was willing to tell Enzo some details, but Matrix had seen the conflict she faced — a conflict he shared — when discussion turned to the renegade and AndrAIa.

__

I wonder how Dot and Bob'll tell him about . . . him, and me, Matrix mused. _Am I gonna have to talk to him? How _would_ I talk to him?_

He angrily growled, **_"I don't wanna hear you say, _**

You both have grown in a different way.' 

No, no, no, no.

**__**

"I don't wanna meet your friends 

And I don't wanna start over again.

I just want my life to be the same, just like it used to be.

**__**

"Some days I hate everything. I hate everything. Everyone and everything." 

Without knowing, both he and Enzo sang, **_"Please don't tell me everything is wonderful now."_**

They finished together, singing, **_"I don't wanna hear you tell me everything is wonderful now."_**

Enzo sighed; it was getting cold, and he wasn't going to find out anything about Matrix tonight. He ducked back inside the Diner.

Matrix glared through the window. But even he couldn't stay sullen when a celebration was going on. After a nanosecond, he opened the door and came inside, to be greeted by his friends and family.

* * *

Another war. Another lifetime of loss and pain. Something inside Dot raged at the seemingly impossible situation they had been so unfairly dropkicked into. Why, why, why did _they_ have to deal with the Daemon threat? Dot wondered. But it was a small, childish feeling that faded only a nano after she formulated the thought. Life was what it was; for some reason, the sprites of Mainframe had been saddled with the Daemon threat less than a cycle after they had barely survived the system restart.

Dot threaded her fingers through her hair as she studied her reflection in the mirror, but her eyes suggested that her thoughts were elsewhere.

Dot had done so well with letting all the emotions of the war against Megabyte slide over her skin. She had built up a shell around herself so nothing could get through. Dot was numb, unemotional. Now, her core-com ached with the knowledge of how much time she — all of them, her family and friends alike — would have to dedicate to defeat the seemingly all-powerful super-virus.

__

It was only a couple of seconds, she thought helplessly, standing in her office and staring herself down in silence. It took all of Dot's strength to hold back the almost overwhelming feelings of anger and sadness. If she let the emotions show, they would cause her to break down, physically and spiritually. 

Caught up in her thoughts, she had been staring at her reflection for nearly a millisecond. She hurriedly smoothed a wrinkle in her jumpsuit and walked through the door that led into the War Room. Mouse and Phong stood in the room, and Dot flashed them a quick, tight smile, hoping she would appear relaxed – or, at least, all together.

However, Mouse fixed her with a look Dot knew all too well; the hacker could tell Dot was troubled and that she was trying to hide it. "Dot, are you okay?"

"Of course," Dot replied. Mouse fixed her with a disbelieving stare, and Dot quickly added,

**__**

"I'm not afraid

Of anything in this world.

There's nothing you can throw at me

That I haven't already heard.

"I'm just trying to find

A decent melody

A song that I can sing

In my own company."

Mouse shook her head and stared at her friend, her hands on her hips.

**__**

"I never thought you were a fool," she informed Dot,

**__**

"But darling look at you.

You gotta stand up straight,

Carry your own weight.

These tears are going nowhere baby.

**__**

"You've got to get yourself together," she continued to sing.

**__**

You've got stuck in a moment

And now you can't get out of it.

Don't say that later will be better.

Now you're stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it."

Dot shook her head and argued, **_"I will not forsake_**

The colors that you bring;

The nights you filled with fireworks

They left you with nothing.

"I am still enchanted

By the light you brought to me," she sang to her friends.

**__**

I listen through your ears

Through your eyes I can see."

**__**

"And you are such a fool," Phong told her, gently but firmly,

**__**

"To worry like you do.

I know it's tough

And you can never get enough

Of what you don't really need now.

My, oh my."

Dot tried to back away from Mouse and Phong, but they continued to follow her as she walked around the War Room. The binomes and CPUs (the police, not the vehicles) watched their leader and the other two sprites.

**__**

"You've got to get yourself together," they urged the Command.com.

**__**

"You've got stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it."

Mouse took Dot by the shoulders and looked at her with concern.

**__**

"Oh love, look at you now," she sang.

**__**

You've got yourself stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it."

Dot was uneasy. She tried to argue,

**__**

"I was unconscious, half asleep.

The water is warm 'til you discover how deep.

I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall.

It's a long way down to nothing at all."

With a feeling of dread, Dot realized that her friends were right. She was concentrating too much on the restart, and Bob — but, though she didn't realize it, the doubts about Bob were only her own. She was the only one worried about Bob and their relationship, but now wasn't the time to ponder those things. It was time to plan for Daemon. She would deal with the other conflicts . . . later.

She joined in with the singing as she left the War Room and walked through the large hall, the binomes and CPUs trailing behind.

**__**

"You've got to get yourself together.

You've got stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it.

Don't say that later will be better.

Now you're stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it."

Dot paused before the huge doors of the Principle Office, her hand on the knob. She looked back to see her friends and fellow Mainframers, still singing.

**__**

"And if the night runs over

And if the day won't last

And if our way should falter

Along the stony pass."

She felt a strange comfort in their words. Dot sang strongly as she opened the doors and came out of the Principle Office.

****

"And if the night runs over

And if the day won't last

And if your way should falter

Along this stony pass

"It's just a moment;

This time will pass."

As Dot finished singing, she came down the steps of the Principle Office and ran right into Bob.

"Bob!" she cried, flustered.

"Hey, Dot," he said and grinned in that way that made her core-com melt. Right now, though, she just wanted to avoid Bob and his cute grin.

"Bob . . . uh, where have you been?"

"I was just checking on my apartment," he answered. "Everything's the same, except for my car. It's . . . different, to say the least." A look of puzzlement passed over his face as he recalled his entirely remodeled car. But the woman in front of him mattered far more than his car. "What about you, Dot?"

Dot shrugged and glanced aside. "Planning for . . . Daemon."

"Dot!" Bob laughed slightly. They were experiencing the first peace any of them had had for at least an hour, and he didn't want the sprite he cared about to bring even more stress on herself at this time. But at Dot's pained look, he quickly sobered. "Dot, we do need to plan, but you should relax a little, you know." He took her hands. Dot swallowed and tried to look away from his large, warm hands cradling her own.

"Dot," Bob continued softly, "you did great against Megabyte — but why don't you take a breather before the next big conflict?"

"Do you want Daemon to just come and . . . and infect us?" Dot emphasized her indignant question by pulling one hand free and waving it around.

Bob's brow furrowed. "Well . . . no, of course not. This has nothing to do with Daemon; it concerns only you." Even he surprised himself by the pure honest of his words.

Dot tried to pull away again, but Bob reached out one hand to brush her cheek. Dot stiffened at the more intimate touch. "Dot, I'm a little worried about you," Bob said. At Dot's frown, Bob sighed.

**__**

"When you need a friend, don't look to a stranger. 

You know in the end, I'll always be there. 

But when you're in doubt, and when you're in danger, 

Take a look all around, and I'll be there."

Dot winced. It wasn't that she resented Bob in any way; but the look on his face was full of such dedication it scared her. A small part of her cried out, "Look at him — he feels everything for you that you feel for him!" Dot tried to ignore her feeling and look away from Bob, but he tilted her chin to look at him as he continued to sing.

**__**

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

But if you'll wait around awhile, I'll make you fall for me. 

I promise you, I promise you I will."

"Bob," she protested, but it was a very weak protest.

"Shh, Dot," he whispered, his eyes searching her face. He leaned forward, and no voice in Dot could convince her to move away. Bob was so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek when they were interrupted by the call of a loud, annoying voice that could only belong to Mainframe's own talking appliance.

"And who do we have here?" Mike the TV crowed, sauntering up to the two sprites. "Just who we wanted to see!" He spun toward the camera binome and announced, "Bob and Dot, Mainframe's sweethearts!" Turning back to them, he asked, "Can we get a word; an interview, maybe?"

"Mike," Dot sighed wearily.

"Come on!" the television pleaded. "You guys are two of Mainframe's biggest heroes — just spare some time for an interview, so the _entire Net_ can learn of the your bravery in the fight for Mainframe!"

"_Mike_," Bob warned; at the moment, still holding Dot by the hand and _so close_ to kissing her again, the war was the last thing he wanted to think about.

"_Please_," Mike wheedled, "just a few words! For instance, what are your thoughts on the upcoming fight with Daemon?"

"That's it," Bob hissed, and held out his hands. Golden keytool rays shot out of his palms and scorched the television's bitmap. Mike yelped and jumped from the spot on which he stood. He hopped off, calling, "All right, all right! Jeez — they defeat a virus and they can't spend time with their friend for an interview."

Bob looked back to Dot with a grin on his face, but at the look on her face he let the grin fall. "Dot —" he started.

"Bob," she quickly said, cutting off any more of his words, "I have to go. I'll see you . . . around." With that, she slowly backed away; but she couldn't miss the look on his face; he resembled a drowned kitten at that moment, and Dot felt guilty with herself. Even as she rushed back to the Diner, she berated herself. 

Did Bob really feel something for her? Dot knew the answer was yes. And did she feel the same way about him? Of course.

Then what in the Net was wrong with her? 

* * *

__

Funny how things turn out this way, Mouse thought while unloading her personal things. Now that they were going to fight Daemon, Mouse figured she might as well make herself at home. _Looks like Ah'm gonna be stayin' with these folks for a little while longer._

Someone knocked on Ship's hull, and a nano later the voice of Ray Tracer floated through the ship. "Mind if I come in?"

"That's fine, Sugah," Mouse called. Soon, Ray came in, looking around him in interest.

"Why, hello, Mr. Tracer," Mouse said brightly. "What can Ah do for you?"

"I prefer Ray," the Surfr answered. He stepped forward and extended a hand, which Mouse shook. "And you're Mouse, I presume."

"The one and only."

Ray nodded. "I wanted to make sure I knew the name of the woman who gave me one of the most amazing kisses I've ever had."

"Oh, that." Mouse's grin held no trace of shame. "That was kinda a spur-of-the-moment thing." 

Ray looked around at the boxes Mouse had been unloading. "Can I stay and help?" he asked.

She placed her hands on her hips and raised one fiery eyebrow. "Ya sayin' Ah can't do it myself?"

"Nothing of that sort," the Surfr answered. "I'd like to get to know you a little more."

"All right," Mouse answered. "Come ta think of it, Ah'd like ta learn a bit about you myself."

"An eye for an eye, then," Ray responded. "I'll tell you a little about myself, but I'd like to hear about you, too."

"Deal," Mouse grinned. "Now, pick up a box and start talkin'."

* * *

The hacker leaned back against a crate. "That's an interestin' history ya got there, Sugah," she commented with a grin.

"Back at you," he replied. With a smile, he added, "Of the few scarce details I got, that is." He looked around at their surroundings. "For one thing — calling your ship _Ship_? I don't know many girls who'd do somethin' like that."

"And Ah don't know a lot of men who are linked by code to a surfboard," Mouse was quick to reply.

"We're a pretty interesting couple, I must say," Ray commented.

Mouse grinned and ran a hand over his close-cut blond hair. "Ray — Ah hope you understand that Ah . . . Ah'm not exactly looking fer a serious relationship."

Ray smiled. "Of course. All I'm looking for is love."

His comment made Mouse extremely flustered inside, but all she let show was a skeptical arch of one eyebrow. "That's askin' a lot fer someone ya just met," she shot back in as calm a voice as she could manage.

Ray shook his head. "No, Mouse, you don't understand.

**__**

"I want love, but it's impossible;

A man like me, so irresponsible.

A man like me is dead in places.

Other men feel liberated.

"I can't love, shot full of holes.

Don't feel nothing, I just feel cold.

Don't feel nothing, just old scars

Toughening up around my heart."

Mouse stared at the search engine in surprise; her eyebrows raised so far that they nearly disappeared into her hair.

Ray grinned at her surprise and sang:

****

"But I want love, just a different kind.

I want love, won't break me down

Won't brick me up, won't fence me in.

I want a love that don't mean a thing;

That's the love I want, I want love."

The music lulled, and Ray took Mouse's hands in his own. For her part, the hacker sighed and looked away. "Ray," she began gently, her voice solemn and sad,

**__**

"You're beautiful, that's for sure;

You'll never ever fade.

You're lovely, but it's not for sure

That I won't ever change.

And though my love is rare,

Though my love is true,

**__**

"I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away.

I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is.

(And baby all I need for you to know is)

I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away.

I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is.

(And baby all I need for you to know is)"

"Mouse, I understand," Ray said; "but you don't."

Mouse laughed quietly, but it was without mirth.

**__**

"Your faith in me brings me to tears

Even after all these years.

And it pains me so much to tell

That you don't know me that well.

And though my love is rare,

Though my love is true —"

Before she could continue, Ray interrupted her, singing heatedly.

**__**

"I want love on my own terms

After everything I've ever learned.

Me, I carry too much baggage.

Oh man, I've seen so much traffic.

"You have too, I can tell," he said, his voice barely above a whisper in its intensity. He pulled her close to him, his eyes watching behind his goggles for her expression at his motion.

Mouse's eyes bored into his as she repeated:

**__**

"I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away.

I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is.

(And baby all I need for you to know is)

I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away.

I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is.

(And baby all I need for you to know is)

"It's not that I wanna say goodbye," she urged him to understand.

**__**

"It's just that every time you try to tell me that you love me . . ." Ray could see the anguish on her face; he wondered if past heartache had brought on the pain he saw.

Mouse continued sadly, **_"Each and every single day I know _**

I'm going to have to eventually give you away." She paused and stared at him for several moments.

**__**

"And though my love is rare,

And though my love is true,

Hey I'm just scared

That we may fall through."

Ray shook his head and responded:

**__**

"So bring it on, I've been bruised.

Don't give me love that's clean and smooth." Mouse couldn't help but grin.

**__**

"I'm ready for the rougher stuff;

No sweet romance, I've had enough.

"A man like me is dead in places," he reminded Mouse.

**__**

"Other men feel liberated.

"I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away," Mouse tried once more. She was surprised that, this many milliseconds already, she hadn't pulled away from his arms.

**__**

"I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is —"

"But I want love, just a different kind," Ray answered.

**__**

I want love, won't break me down

Won't brick me up, won't fence me in. —"

"(And baby all I need for you to know is)

I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away —"

"I want a love that don't mean a thing;

That's the love I want, I want love." Ray had nearly convinced her.

****

"I don't know where my soul is,

I don't know where my home is," Mouse sang, but even she didn't believe herself anymore.

"**_(And baby all I need for you to know is)"_**

Ray's hand reached up to cup her face and gently brush strands of orange hair away from her face. "Ah just wanna warn ya," Mouse said softly.

Ray smiled charmingly. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm willing to risk things this time.

****

"I want love, just a different kind.

I want love, won't break me down

Won't brick me up, won't fence me in.

I want a love that don't mean a thing;

That's the love I want, I want love.

"Can you do that, Love?" he whispered. Mouse nodded, and found herself the one who was caught in a kiss, unable to speak.

* * *

Bob entered the Diner and took a seat next to Dot and Enzo. "Hey, Kiddo, what's wrong?" he asked the small sprite.

"Nothing, really," Enzo sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just . . . everything's so different, and I still don't get what I missed. I mean, just look at all the sprites that are here!" he cried, waving his arms around for emphasis. "There were never this many sprites that I can remember, not since the Twin City."

"Well, it's true that some stuff happened while you were . . . well, things happened," Bob said, choosing his words delicately.

"But Dot won't tell me anything!" Enzo said, shooting his sister a glare. She sighed and sent Bob an unhappy look.

"Don't blame your sister, Enzo," the Guardian said. "Look, maybe we can explain a few things."

"All right," Enzo said, intrigued. He looked at Dot and asked, "What happened to Bob?"

Dot recovered quickly from the panicked look she wore a nano earlier. "He was sent into the Web; then he merged with Glitch."

Enzo was unfazed. "Mouse and the Surfr guy?"

"She's a hacker; he's a Web Surfr who helped me to get home," Bob replied.

"How about Matrix and AndrAIa?" Enzo beamed triumphantly as both Dot and Bob faltered. He had found a weak spot. "Well? Who're they, and where'd they come from?"

Dot recovered and answered, "They came from the Games and found Bob in the Web." She sighed in relief.

Enzo's features darkened, and he crossed his arms over his small chest. Caught without another question, he turned and silently went to his room.

Dot could feel Bob's questioning gaze boring into her back. She turned to look at him, the look on her face pleading, _What was I supposed to tell him?_

In answer to her silent question, he said, "You know you have to explain it all to him soon enough."

Dot bit her lip and looked down; Bob discreetly admired how beautiful she looked. "You're right," she sighed, and Bob was jerked back to reality. She looked up, her eyes filled with troubled thoughts. She had been through too much trouble already, the Guardian thought. "But it's just so difficult," Dot whispered, and it touched Bob so much that he considered enveloping her in his arms.

Just as he was working up enough nerve, Dot shifted her position, and Bob lost his chance. "It's hard for both of them: Enzo and Matrix," she said. "He and I haven't talked much since the restart. It's like he's a totally different sprite."

"Dot," Bob said, "you can't keep beating yourself up for this. What happened, happened. I mean, for all those hours in the Games, he turned out . . . okay."

Dot smiled at him, albeit weakly. Even after their awkwardness the other second, it made her feel comforted that she and Bob could still talk together as friends.

"Besides," Bob continued, "he had AndrAIa there for him."

Dot barked a soft laugh. "Yeah, he did have AndrAIa; but _I_ wasn't there."

Bob stared at her unblinkingly, and Dot could feel the gentle reassurance his gaze had always held; she smiled gratefully. They sat together in contented silence for several nanoseconds, until Dot finally stood up.

"I have to be going," she said in an apologetic tone. "I'll see Mouse and Enzo; but will you tell the others that there's a meeting in the War Room tomorrow at 1350?"

Bob nodded and watched Dot go. Turning back to the bar, he raised a hand toward the maitre d'. "Hey, Cecil," he called, but of course he received no response.

* * *

Dot was the first sprite in the Principle Office's War Room. Looking around, she reflected that the room really did have personal significance: it was where they had fought their first war, and where they would win their second.

Dot looked up from her organizer when she heard the door _whoosh_ open, and Bob stepped into the room. She quickly glanced down, but any chance of an awkward situation disappeared when Matrix and AndrAIa quickly followed Bob into the room.

Five millisecond later, Mouse and Ray entered the War Room, hand in hand and laughing together. They quickly dropped hands when they saw the other sprites; Mouse smoothed down her hair, which was more tousled than usual, and Ray adjusted his goggles.

"Is this everybody?" Bob asked, looking around.

"Not quite," Dot answered; "Phong should be here."

It was only a little while later that the former Command.com wheeled into the room, with Captain Capacitor and the pirates trailing behind.

"I'm sorry, my child," Phong apologized, "but I was showing our friends a map of the Net and the Web in the Read Only Room."

"All right," Dot said, "now we can start —"

The air shimmered before her, and Hexadecimal appeared– with Little Enzo and Frisket. _Oh no,_ Dot thought, _I don't want Enzo here. _Yet, she knew she wouldn't be able to make Enzo leave without more questions. Besides, she had another problem, Hexadecimal.

"Hello," the registered virus grinned. "I hope I'm in time."

"Hexadecimal," Dot asked cautiously, "why was Enzo with you before?"

"Oh, it's all right," Hex assured her, but Dot didn't feel very assured. "The boy is fine, aren't you, dear?"

"Yeah," Enzo added, "I was playing at Lost Angles. It's cool." Dot sighed; but at least Enzo was all right.

Since everyone had arrived, Dot decided they were ready. After giving a short greeting, she prepared herself to get down to business. "Hey, guys. What've you got for me?"

"Not a lot of news, unfortunately," Bob replied. "We only know the basics about Daemon: she's a super-virus, she wants to take over the Net, and she's infected almost all of the Guardian Collective."

"Ouch," Mouse commented. "Another power-hungry virus, like Megabyte."

"Or so we think," Matrix responded. "From the attitude of her Guardians, yes."

"Do we know how long she's been around?" Dot asked.

Matrix shrugged. "From what Turbo said, she's been in the Supercomputer for a while."

"She probably started taking over when I was in the Web, and En — Matrix and AndrAIa were in the Games, and the others in Mainframe were fighting Megabyte and Hex," Bob interjected, stumbling over the way he addressed Enzo. Fortunately, the younger Enzo didn't notice.

"And," AndrAIa added, "if she's already infected most of the Guardian Collective, like you said, she's got to be more powerful than Megabyte was." Dot nodded distractedly and typed notes of their discussion into her organizer.

Looking up again, Dot stared fixed her gaze on the renegade. "Matrix, you've had the most interaction with Turbo, right?"

"Yeah," the youth replied, "but I didn't get too much information out of him; just what I told you."

"All right," Dot sighed. "We've got to face this Daemon threat just like we did Megabyte," she announced to the others. "But we won't make the same mistakes. First: we need to know _more_ about her."

"Got that covered, lovely lady," Ray immediately answered. "I bet me and the Cap'n can check out the atmosphere."

"Aye! That we can," Capacitor added with a bow towards Dot. "Me crew and I would be happy to help out."

"Thank you, Ray, Gavin." Dot grinned. "Okay; that means we need to figure out where you'll go. Mouse, can you help Ray and the pirates set up a safe route through the Net?"

"Sure," the hacker replied. "But before that, Dot: Ah was thinkin', Ah could prob'ly use some of the same codes from the previous war ta lock up Mainframe, keep us safe." She frowned in contemplation, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "That's it! Remember the firewall we used to ward off the viruses?" She didn't wait for Dot to nod. "Why don't we use them to shield the system?" Her statement was received by unanimous nods. 

Dot went on with instructions. "We also need to know _which_ systems Daemon has infected, and how many. Do you have any idea?" she asked Matrix. He shook his head despondently.

"We can find out, though," AndrAIa said. All eyes turned to her, and she continued, "Matrix and I can go through systems and find out what the situation is. We know the Net better than anyone, and we're already used to inter-system travel. You up to that, Sparky?" she grinned at him, and her eyes flashed mischievously. Matrix returned the challenge with a grin.

"I can help with that," Bob spoke up. "With my Glitch powers, I can open portals, so I can ferry you guys from here to other systems."

Dot opened her mouth to speak, but at the last moment, she realized she had nothing to say that would sway the decisions made. She knew, however grim, that they _needed_ Matrix and AndrAIa to scout out the systems, regardless of her own worries for them.

"Hey, Dot," Enzo suggested, "maybe I could skip school for a little and stay in the Principle Office with you guys!"

The Command.com cast a glance at her younger brother. "I can't let you do that, Sweetie," Dot said, biting her lip.

"_Dot_!" Enzo groaned, embarrassed. "I wanna help!"

"Typical," Matrix groaned. "You're too young," he told Enzo.

"What would _you _know about it?" Enzo retorted.

"More than you could imagine," Matrix growled back. A look passed among the adult sprites except for Ray, who didn't quite understand. Everyone stared at the two Enzo Matrixes.

"Hey!" Enzo cried. "What is going on with you people? Is there some big secret I don't know about?" No one replied, and Enzo whined, "Come on, tell me!"

Matrix grumbled under his breath at the nagging, but still no one supplied Enzo with an explanation.

"Is that everything?" Dot asked a few moments later. At the nods from the others, she smiled and said, "Meeting adjourned."

* * *


	2. Act II

Dot led Captain Capacitor and the pirate crew to the Mainframe docks. "Gavin, if you would allow it, we have a ship for you to use," Dot explained. "I know it's not . . . the most powerful ship, but it's small, and fast; the perfect ship for scouting."

Capacitor slowly circled the ship docked in the shallow Data Sea, tapping his chin thoughtfully. The ship was sleek and bullet-shaped, with dark crimson insignia painted along the sides. Finally, his scrutiny ended, and he turned to Dot with his verdict. "It's not the Mare," he decided, ". . . but it will do. Thank you, Dot."

She smiled back. "My pleasure. And thank you for volunteering for the mission; I know it's a pretty dangerous thing to do."

Capacitor waved a hand. "Me crew and I are lookin' for some excitement!" he chortled. His expression soon sobered. "But I wish – and I know that they all agree with me – that the war will be over as quickly as it begins."

Dot's shoulders sagged. "Me too."

* * *

Dot spent the two seconds after the meeting for Daemon with the tech-binomes and Phong. Together they had planned the strategies for the upcoming battles with the super-virus.

Before going to the Diner, Dot had visited the lower levels of the Principle Office to see how things were going with the vehicles and weapons they would need; in reply, the tech-boys had given her their newest gadget.

When Dot arrived in Baudway, she saw her brother – Little Enzo – running around with Frisket, laughing with the fun of whatever game they were playing. Matrix and AndrAIa leaned against the wall of the Diner. Though Dot knew Matrix didn't have much interest with his backup, she noticed that the renegade was watching Enzo closely.

Dot entered the Diner and took a seat at the booth. She surveyed the binomes eating in booths, proud that her business still thrived as the most popular eating spot in Mainframe. Even the rowdy pirates were having lunch at her Diner; so were Mouse and Ray, talking amongst themselves and smiling at one another.

Back outside, Frisket, having tired of bounding around behind Enzo, went over to Matrix. He nudged the big sprite's hand, confused; Frisket had spent a long time with Enzo in the Games as they grew older, yet he had just been playing with the one who was also Enzo, but younger. The dog whined and nudged Matrix's hand again.

Matrix patted Frisket's head. "It's okay, boy," he murmured. "Go play with Enzo."

Enzo approached Matrix and AndrAIa warily. "Sorry," he muttered, grabbing a hold of Frisket's collar and trying to drag him away. "He doesn't usually like strangers," he added mostly to himself in a puzzled tone.

Dot turned her gaze to the sprites standing outside the Diner and called, "Enzo, AndrAIa – Matrix," she added, "come in here." They silently entered the Diner.

"I'm glad you're all here," Dot said to the six sprites and the binome pirates once everyone was comfortable. "Before Ray and the pirates leave, I have something that the boys made for all of us to use." She pulled out a handful of wrist-communicators with blank screens.

"These communicators will help us to keep in touch both around the system and when we separate," Dot explained as she passed them out to the other sprites. "Here, Enzo, you get one too," she added, handing one to her little brother.

The sprite strapped the communicator onto his wrist and beamed. "Cool!"

Most of them put the communicators on their wrists like Enzo; Matrix strapped his to Gun, at his side.

"Thank you, Miss Matrix," Ray said, taking his communicator and putting it on his Baud. He looked to Captain Capacitor. "If that's all, we should be leaving."

The sprites left the War Room and stood in the docking bay of the Principle Office. They watched as Ray and the pirates prepared the ship.

Soon, all the preparations had been done. Capacitor waved his hat from the deck of the ship and called, "We be seeing you, Dot!"

"Good luck, Gavin," Dot called back.

Ray stepped onto his Baud and was about to fly after the ship. At the last moment, he turned back and flew to Mouse. "Hope you'll be waiting up for me, Love," he said, and kissed her full on the lips.

They finally parted; Mouse was surprised and a little embarrassed at the public display of affection, but at the moment it didn't really matter. "Net protect you, Ray," she answered softly.

The Web Surfr waved and flew back to the pirates as the ship rose into the air.

The Control Tower shot a beam into the sky and opened a portal to the Net. With one last wave and many boisterous shouts from the pirates, the ship and Ray passed through the portal. The Control Tower shot again, closing the hole in the sky as if there had been no tear.

* * *

The sprites slowly dispersed, heading for wherever they were needed. Instead of going to school, Enzo trailed behind Dot and Bob. The little sprite persisted the other two with insistent questions as they headed for the Diner.

"That Matrix guy sure is weird. What's up with his attitude? And what did he mean by what he was saying to me? Really, that guy is intense." Finally, Enzo hit on the point that had been bothering him for the last few seconds. "And you guys all knew something. What happened at the restart?"

Bob spared a worried glance at the small sprite, but he said nothing.

"Something happened – I want to know what! _What happened_?"

"I –" Dot knew that she had to tell Enzo the truth. "Sit down, Enzo," she said softly. When he did as she asked, she joined him in the booth.

"What happened?" Enzo asked again, but his voice was quieter.

"You and Matrix – you're the same sprite," Dot said. What a random thing – but it was true. "Enzo, I know this seems impossible – _I_ think it's impossible – but it's true: you and Matrix are the same code.

"There was another Enzo," Dot tried to explain. "What I mean, is –" she sighed. "Look at it this way, Enzo. When the war with Megabyte started, before Bob got shot into the Web, he made Enzo – you, in a sense – into a Guardian. Do you get it so far?" Enzo nodded, and Dot went on. "Later, Enzo went into a Game and lost it, getting him, AndrAIa, and Frisket trapped in the Games."

"Dude," Enzo breathed, his eyes wide.

"Game time was accelerated," Bob picked up the explanation, "so Enzo grew up into a sprite called Matrix." Enzo's eyes widened even further, and he made a small gasping sound. Bob went on and finished, "Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket – all grown up now – found me in the Web, like we told you, and we all went home to Mainframe. But when the restart occurred, Matrix left his icon in game-sprite mode – and you, Enzo, were brought back by the system." 

It really was an amazing story; and very hard to swallow, especially when Enzo just discovered his part in it. Dot watched Enzo carefully for what he could be feeling. 

"So, Enzo, what do you think?" Bob asked, but he got no answer.

A few nanos later, Dot said, "Well, Enzo?"

"Give me a nano!" the boy cried. "It's still processing.

"Sweet User!" he shouted a few nanoseconds later. "This is totally offline – high-density, pixelacious --! How come you guys didn't tell me right when I asked?"

"We weren't sure how'd you react," Dot answered carefully. "It's a new development, and we figured you – and Matrix – would be unsure of what to do."

"How come Matrix hasn't talked to me yet?" Enzo continued with his questions. "Is he as confused as I feel?"

"Why don't you go see him and AndrAIa and get all the details?" Dot suggested, a sudden idea coming to mind.

Enzo shrugged uneasily; he would have been surprised to discover that he was mimicking Matrix. ". . . I dunno," he muttered. "I don't think Matrix likes me very much."

"Nonsense, Enzo," Bob assured him. "This is as new to Matrix as it is to you."

"He's you," Dot added.

"Fine," Enzo huffed, jumping off his seat and heading for the door. "C'mon, Frisket." He and the dog left the Diner, the boy muttering, "Why's everybody on _his_ side, anyway?"

* * *

AndrAIa wrapped her fingers around Matrix's big hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. His arm slid around her waist, and he pulled her closer to him as they walked through the quiet, peaceful setting of Floating Point Park. Binome citizens passing by smiled at two of Mainframe's heroes, but the couple took no notice of the attention.

Matrix gazed around at the park and the sectors beyond, a thoughtful smile playing over his features. "Everything's like I remember it," he commented softly; his tone carried an expression of near awe. "Everything that is my home; it's all here."

AndrAIa looked up at him and asked, "Are you happy to be home?"

After a few moments, Matrix replied, "Yeah, I guess I am." AndrAIa felt him shrug. "A lot of it isn't the way I hoped it would be – but I'm glad to be home." AndrAIa, seemingly satisfied by his answer, didn't press any more, and they continued their walk.

Matrix felt Little Enzo's presence even before he turned around. The little sprite hesitated by a bench and stared silently at his older self.

AndrAIa spoke first. "Enzo, what's up? Does Dot or Bob need us?"

"Um, no, everything's fine," Enzo said. "Actually – uh, Dot and Bob told me about me and Matrix . . . you know, about how we're . . . the same sprite."

Matrix's eyes widened, but he had known that soon enough the news would be revealed to Enzo.

"Are you all right?" AndrAIa asked. "I know it's hard to adjust to Enzo – are you okay?"

Enzo nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm okay, I guess – thanks." Matrix sighed, unhappy because he hadn't thought of asking; but he had nothing to contribute now, so he remained silent.

Enzo stared at them in the growing silence; then he suddenly burst into a barrage of questions.

"What were the Games like? Is that how you lost your eye, Matrix? What did you guys look like when you were teenagers? How did you make it through the Games? So, it was like twelve hours for you --?"

"We'll have time to answer all of your questions, Enzo," AndrAIa told him with a smile. Enzo was effectively silenced.

Matrix groaned inwardly. From the moment Enzo had met the Game-hopping couple, the youngster had developed a crush on AndrAIa. Matrix personally wouldn't exactly blame him, but now that Enzo knew how he and Matrix were connected, he was probably going to follow them around: asking questions, bothering them – Matrix didn't think his patience could hold against his younger self.

Meanwhile, AndrAIa was answering some of Enzo's questions.

"AndrAIa," he asked, "why do you call him Lover' and mushy stuff?"

AndrAIa traded a glance with Matrix, then she bent down to Enzo and answered, "Well you see, Enzo, I love Matrix very much, and I show that I love him by calling him by those nicknames."_ And to annoy him every once in a while._

Enzo grinned; if he were to grow up into Matrix after all, he would definitely have a babe for a girlfriend! "He's lucky to have you," he said shyly, then cast a glare at Matrix.

"Hey, you're not so bad yourself," AndrAIa commented with a small laugh that made Enzo grin again. "You're Sparky too, in a way; you're like a Little Sparky. Little Sparky," AndrAIa giggled. "It suits you."

Enzo beamed at the attention, but his counterpart wasn't quite as happy. He narrowed his eyes and growled softly under his breath with irritation and a hint of jealousy.

AndrAIa walked over to where Matrix stood, her hands on her hips. "Well?" she demanded.

"What?" he shot back.

"What bug is messing up _your_ processor?" AndrAIa asked.

He shrugged uneasily and glanced at Enzo, who was watching with some interest. "Can we talk about this later?"

Sensing the reason for his attitude, AndrAIa sighed and cupped his face in her hands. "Don't worry, Matrix," she teased with a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "I won't let Enzo come in the way of our relationship."

AndrAIa grinned. "But if you think about it, he _is_ you, Sparky," she said, grinning even more when he rolled his eyes. "Really – what's bothering you?"

"Things just . . . don't feel right." Matrix shrugged again; it was a gesture he used to try to shake off feelings, AndrAIa had noticed in their time together. 

"Matrix." AndrAIa sighed again. Staring straight into his eyes with her calm blue ones, she softly proclaimed, 

**__**

"When I first saw you, I saw love. 

And the first time you touched me, I felt love. 

And after all this time, you're still the one I love."

A shadow of a smile crossed Matrix's face, comforted by her words, and he pulled AndrAIa closer to him. He watched with interest as AndrAIa wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her face close to his, singing softly:

**__**

"Looks like we made it.

Look how far we've come, my baby. 

We mighta took the long way. 

We knew we'd get there someday.

"They said, I bet they'll never make it.' 

But just look at us holding on. 

We're still together, still going strong."

AndrAIa's singing grew stronger.

**__**

"(You're still the one). 

You're still the one I run to, 

The one that I belong to. 

You're still the one I want for life," she assured him.

**__**

"(You're still the one). 

You're still the one that I love, 

The only one I dream of. 

You're still the one I kiss good night."

Matrix's smile broadened; a rare act, indeed. AndrAIa leaned back slightly but continued to sing: 

**__**

"Ain't nothin' better. 

We beat the odds together. 

I'm glad we didn't listen. 

Look at what we would be missin'.

"They said, I bet they'll never make it.' 

But just look at us holding on. 

We're still together, still going strong.

"Enzo, you know this," she whispered. He leaned in to kiss her; their lips brushed, but AndrAIa pulled back playfully. Though close enough to kiss him, she continued to sing:

**__**

"(You're still the one). 

You're still the one I run to, 

The one that I belong to. 

You're still the one I want for life. 

(You're still the one). 

You're still the one that I love, 

The only one I dream of. 

You're still the one I kiss good night."

AndrAIa slowly pulled away from Matrix and paused in her singing. She smiled at him and swayed in a slow, gentle dance. Three female binomes enjoying picnics stood and danced behind her, their movements mimicking the game sprite's. 

AndrAIa slowly spun back toward Matrix.

**__**

"(You're still the one)

You're still the one I run to,

The one that I belong to.

You're still the one I want for life.

(You're still the one)

You're still the one that I love,

The only one I dream of.

You're still the one I kiss good night."

AndrAIa let herself be pulled back into Matrix's arms. Smiling at her lover, she sang the last lines in her soft, lovely voice that always made him smile.

**__**

"I'm so glad we made it.

Look how far we've come my baby."

"Blech!" Enzo hissed in disgust, sticking out his tongue. "Mushy stuff."

His older self and AndrAIa didn't hear; they were caught in a deep kiss.

* * *

"Matrix and AndrAIa; just the sprites I wanted to see," Phong said as the two entered the Principle Office. "Hue – down in the labs – needs to talk to you." He sent them in the direction of the P.O.'s underground laboratories; then he wheeled along on his way.

A small binome with dull gray hair greeted Matrix and AndrAIa as they entered. "Hello, hello, I am Agent Hue. Now, I heard you two were going to be scouting around systems for Daemon, right?" They nodded. "Well, you're going to need good transports, and I have just the things." Hue led them past binomes in lab coats; some were testing inventions, while others were reviewing those from the war, like the firewall.

Hue, AndrAIa, and Matrix entered a garage where ships of various shapes and sizes stood. "Here we are," Hue announced. "We have all kinds of ships; now, I was thinking you could use –"

"I have an idea," AndrAIa said. Hue looked slightly irritated to be interrupted, but he let her continue. "What about bikes?" the game sprite suggested. "They're easy to maneuver, and we could still take a good amount of weapons."

Matrix grinned and shook his head, amused by his girlfriend's obsession with motorbikes.

Hue's eyebrow raised. "That is – a fantastic idea," he said. "I'll have the boys convert some transports immediately."

* * *

Bob burst into Dot's office, his abrupt entry making her nearly jump out of her seat. "Dot," the Guardian said in a calmer tone, smoothing his hand over his hair, "hi. I was hoping to find you away from work."

"Really?" Dot asked, sliding her organizer under a file folder. After a silence that stretched for a few uncomfortable nanos, she added, "Please, sit down."

Bob settled into a chair in front of her desk and leaned forward. "Dot," he said, catching her eyes with his, "I was wondering . . . how about we go and get an energy shake?" At the surprise in her eyes, he quickly added, "Or something else; hang out by the docks, maybe?"

Dot dropped her gaze and stared at the wood-grain pattern of the top of her desk. "Bob, I – I need to work on the plans against Daemon," she said.

Bob groaned under his breath and leaned back. "Dot, I'm telling you, you need to relax a little. Remember in the seconds before the war, when Enzo and I convinced you to take a rest? Didn't you enjoy that?"

"Bob, I don't have time to," Dot argued.

"Dot, please, take a break!"

His urging made Dot take a pause. She glared at him. "Don't you care about Daemon?"

"Of course I do!" Bob shot back. "Dot, more than anything I want to send that virus back where she came from. All of the Guardians she controls are my friends. I want nothing more than to win this war against her."

"I have to plan, Bob," Dot repeated.

Bob pushed himself up and began to pace. "You know that's not it," he accused, turning to Dot and stabbing a finger at her. "What is it, Dot? I thought we were . . . closer after the restart; but now you've been acting so icy. What's wrong?"

"Bob," Dot sighed, her irritation conveyed in the one word. She pulled out her organizer and keyed in a command; her organizer, always her excuse when she didn't want to talk.

"Dot," Bob tried again, and she could hear the mounting anger in his voice. But the Guardian wasn't one for nasty outbursts, and he calmed himself; nevertheless, his voice carried annoyance when he said, "You're taking this planning too seriously – and you're not taking me seriously enough.

"Come on, Dot, you can tell me!" Bob repeated. Dot had always been stubborn, but now it was exasperating that she didn't feel she could trust him.

Bob turned away and tried to compose his thoughts. How could he get Dot to believe that everything he was saying was totally true? As he was trying to grab onto an idea, the perfect option came to mind.

Dot looked up, startled, when Bob suddenly spun around. He swallowed, then began to sing. His tone carried no anger or fury, as she had thought, but instead his voice was gentle and sincere.

**__**

"When you need a friend, don't look to a stranger.

You know in the end, I'll always be there. 

But when you're in doubt, and when you're in danger, 

Take a look all around, and I'll be there. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

But if you'll wait around awhile, I'll make you fall for me. 

I promise you, I promise you I will.

"When your day is through, and so is your temper, 

You know what to do, I'm gonna always be there. 

Sometimes if I shout, it's not what's intended. 

These words just come out, with no gripe to bear.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

But if you'll wait around awhile, I'll make you fall for me, 

I promise you, I promise you . . .

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

And if I had to walk the world, I'd make you fall for me, 

I promise you, I promise you I will.

"Dot," Bob whispered, his eyes boring into hers. The anguish in his voice made her core-com nearly shatter.

**__**

"I gotta tell you, I gotta tell you, I need to tell you . . .

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

But if you'll wait around awhile, I'll make you fall for me, 

I promise you, I promise you . . . 

"I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say. 

I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be. 

And if I had to walk the world, I'd make you fall for me, 

I promise you, I promise you I will. 

"I will. I will."

Bob finished his song, his voice radiating with his dedication to her. He looked to Dot for any indication that she had been moved by his display of emotion.

Dot tried to avoid his eyes by staring at her organizer. She barely noticed the figures scrolling down the screen, as she whispered to herself:

**__**

"I wonder how's it going to be 

When it goes down. 

How's it going to be 

When you're not around.

How's it going to be 

When you found out there was nothing 

Between you and me. 

Cause I don't care."

"What did you say?" Bob demanded, whirling around.

Dot shook her head. "Nothing, Bob. It's nothing." She abruptly pushed herself up from her chair and strode out the door.

Bob considered following her, but in the end he shook his head and sat back down. With a sigh, he commented to himself, "What a woman. . . ."

* * *


	3. Act III

"What do you think of this, Mr. Matrix?" a tech-binome asked.

"Just Matrix," the renegade replied curtly. He looked over the schematic for his bike as the binome explained, "This would be where the weapons would be held. You see, we could store up to fifty missiles, and —"

Matrix grinned when he saw the truckload of weapons they planned to store. "Alphanumeric. Thanks." He looked to his girlfriend, studying her own bike. "You ready, DrAI?"

"Yep," she answered, turning away — somewhat reluctantly — from the schematic. "What do you think?"

"It's great," Matrix replied. "Good idea."

AndrAIa smiled back as they left the underground labs. "I'll be at our apartment," she said.

"All right. I'll be in the Read Only Room. See you at 1900."

AndrAIa gave him a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, Lover."

* * *

__

Great, Matrix thought upon seeing Little Enzo in the Read Only Room. _The kid and I even think alike. Just pixelacious._

"What are you doing here, Kid?" Matrix demanded.

"Don't call me Kid'!" Enzo snapped.

"Big words from a back-up," Matrix muttered, then wished to take back his words.

"I don't care if I really am a back-up," Enzo shot back, "`cause you're not even Enzo Matrix!"

Matrix gritted his teeth, shaking in a visible effort to stop from doing — or saying — something stupid. "I _am_ Enzo Matrix, and don't you ever say otherwise. I lived through all ten hours as _you_, and after another twelve I became _me_. But I'm still Enzo Matrix."

"You don't act like it," Enzo scoffed. "You don't want to be called Enzo, and you don't even want to be with me."

  
"And why would I?" Matrix asked sarcastically. "Enzo is the pathetic, little weakling who lost that Game and let everyone down."

Enzo felt tears prick his eyes at the hurtful words.

"I want nothing to do with _Enzo_," Matrix said. "I hate . . . Enzo."

Anger began to brew in Enzo's small chest and spread to every part of his body. There was no way he would put up with all of the insults from himself! "How can you hate me?" Enzo demanded. "We're the same sprite! The same code!"

"We are _not_ the same!" Matrix shouted. "You ruined my life!"

"I didn't! _You_ did!" Enzo screamed. "And besides, I couldn't have ruined your life.' I'm the backup; I don't even remember any of the war!"

Matrix was caught off guard for a nanosecond. He did the only thing he could at that moment.

**__**

"Never made it as a wise man," Matrix sang;****

"I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'. 

Tired of livin' like a blind man;

I'm sick of sight without a sense of feelin."

And this is how you remind me.

"Don't you get it?" he hissed through gritted teeth.

**__**

"This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am. 

This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am."

"You can't blame me!" Enzo cried.

**__**

"It's not like you to say sorry.

I was waiting on a different story.

This time I'm mistaken 

For handing you a heart worth breakin'." 

Matrix took several steps toward the smaller sprite. Enzo gulped and backspaced a little.

****

"I've been wrong," Matrix growled, **_"I've been down _**

Been to the bottom of every bottle. 

These five words in my head 

Scream Are we having fun yet?'"

He took slow, menacing steps toward Enzo, who turned away and covered his ears, not wanting to hear the words.

****

"Yet? Yet? Yet?" Matrix mocked.**_ "No, no."_**

His backup recovered his composure and turned back to face Matrix.

**__**

"It's not like you didn't know that," Enzo sneered.

**__**

"I can understand how I turned into you."

He continued even more sarcastically, **_"It must have been so bad, _**

Cause livin' with me must have right near killed you."

"This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am," Matrix shouted.****

"This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am." 

"It's not like you to say sorry," Enzo repeated.****

I was waiting on a different story. 

This time I'm mistaken 

For handing you a heart worth breakin'." 

But he got the same answer from Matrix.

**__**

"I've been wrong, I've been down. 

Been to the bottom of every bottle. 

These five words in my head 

Scream Are we having fun yet?'

Yet? Yet? Yet? No, no."

Matrix stood still for a nano, contemplating. Then he turned back to Enzo and calmly sang:

****

"Never made is as a wise man;

I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing. 

And this is how you remind me. 

This is how you remind me." 

"You're so selfish!" Enzo screamed; Matrix was taken aback by the small sprite's surprising amount of anger. "You think you're the _only one_ who's bothered by all this? You think _I_ don't dislike you?" He snorted. 

**__**

"This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am.

This is how you remind me 

Of what I really am. 

It's not like you to say sorry. 

I was waiting on a different story. 

This time I'm mistaken 

For handing you a heart worth breakin'." 

Matrix was a little taken aback. He shot back: 

**__**

"I've been wrong, I've been down 

Been to the bottom of every bottle. 

These five words in my head 

Scream Are we having fun yet?' 

"Yet? Yet? Yet? No, no."

Satisfied with having the last word, Matrix turned and readied himself to leave.

"I'm not even sure I'd want to become you," Enzo called after Matrix.

Matrix stared back at his backup in surprise, but his eyes still burned with anger. Enzo sent back an exact replica of Matrix's expression. The renegade swallowed before he could say anything more, and he quickly left the room.

* * *

Matrix stomped from room to room until he reached his and AndrAIa's apartment. AndrAIa was waiting for him in front of the closed door, an expression of sadness on her face. "How do you get yourself into these things?" she asked quietly, and he knew without a doubt that she had heard at least some of his argument with Enzo.

"He goaded me into it," Matrix muttered. "He knows how to push my buttons."

Rather than say the next line they had been carrying on repeatedly in their argument ("He _is_ you"), AndrAIa switched tactics. "Why don't you talk to Dot? Maybe she could resolve some of the conflict between you two."

Matrix sighed. "I want to talk to her — but everything's so different. She's treating me like I'm a stranger; she acts like she doesn't know me, for User's sake."

"I'm sorry, Enzo, but that's probably what she feels," AndrAIa told him. "We've changed; you know that." She clasped his shoulder. "She's probably somewhat afraid, too. But the only way to let her know you're okay is to talk with her."

Matrix nodded and muttered, "You're right." He smiled. "You're always right."

AndrAIa linked her arm in his. "Come on, Enzo. Let's get the conflict with _one_ of your siblings resolved."

* * *

When they reached the Command.com's office, the door was hanging slightly open. They could see Dot sitting at her desk, going through some files on her organizer. "Uh . . . Dot?" Matrix started.

"Yeah?" she asked, lifting her head. "What do you need?"

"We wanted to talk with you," AndrAIa said.

"Sure," Dot said, motioning for them to enter. She came around her desk and leaned against the edge. "What's up?"

AndrAIa sent Matrix an encouraging smile and stepped back slightly; she wanted to let the Matrix siblings work out their problem themselves.

Matrix started bluntly: "You've been avoiding us, Dot. Why?"

Her forehead crinkled slightly at his words. "I haven't been avoiding you," Dot replied; "I just . . . things felt uncomfortable."

"But why haven't you been talking to us?" her brother pressed.

"It . . . doesn't feel right," Dot answered before she had thought fully about the words. "Enzo — what I mean is, you've changed so much. You're different now, both of you." Her last words were barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, we've changed," Matrix echoed, "but that doesn't mean I'm not your brother, right, Dot?" He frowned when Dot shifted her position and glanced away. "Right, Dot?"

She shook her head, the beginnings of tears pricking her eyes. "It's not right. Now, every time I see you, I'm reminded of what happened to you in the Games." Now she turned away, unable to look them in the eyes. "You must hate me."

"Hate you?" Matrix breathed, his face full of disbelief. "Dot, we would never — I would _never_ hate you."

"But Enzo, it's all _my_ fault. I let you go into that Game; I wasn't there to protect you when you lost." Dot swallowed thickly and faced the two sprites.

**__**

"You weren't ready for the world outside.

You kept pretending, but you couldn't hide.

I know I said that I'd be standing by your side

But I . . .

"I wish I had said the right words

To lead you through that land.

Wish I had played the mother,

Taken you by the hand.

Wish you had stayed that day

But now that all is done,

Am I standing in the way?

"The cries around you, you had to hear them all.

'Cause you know I wasn't there to take the call.

You could've been lying there, but you had to stand tall.

But I . . .

"I wish I could lay your arms down

And let you rest at last.

Wish I could slay your demons

But now that time has passed.

Wish I could stay your stalwart, standing fast

But I'm standing in the way

I'm just standing in the way." 

A sob bubbled up in her throat, and Dot couldn't hold back the tears. Her shoulders bent forward, and her whole body shook with silent sobs.

Wide-eyed with surprise, Matrix stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped his arms around his sister. 

"Dot," Matrix whispered. "It's not like that."

She shook her head, trying to dismiss his words, but Matrix grabbed her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. Dot reluctantly looked into his eyes, her own eyes filled with tears.

"Dot," Matrix repeated. "We don't blame you. It was all my fault —"

"_Both_ our faults," AndrAIa corrected.

"–that we lost that Game and spent twelve hours away from home."

"But I let you go —"

"And look how far we've come because of our time in the Games," AndrAIa said. She and Matrix shared a smile, then they looked back to Dot, who had calmed down a little.

Matrix cleared his throat. **_"I know that I, I can't believe,"_** he started, 

**__**

"Just what the past has brought me, 

To the man I wanna be. 

I know that we have had some times 

That we can't forget the struggle `

`Cause we have so far to go."

Smiling at Dot, AndrAIa said, 

**__**

"I know we've changed but change can be so good. 

So let's not forget why it's understood that —"

Together, she and Matrix sang:

**__**

"Time, look where we are and what we've been through. 

Time, sharing our dreams —"

"Sharing every little bit of life with you," they sang to one another, smiling. Matrix and AndrAIa continued, 

**__**

"Time, goes on and on everyday, baby. 

Time is what it is come what may (come what may)."

Dot stepped up to Matrix and softly sang, **_"I remember when, Mom used to say_**

That things are getting better, and you'll soon be on your way."

**__**

"Remember those days," Matrix replied, 

**__**

"When we would sing at the drop of a dime. 

Way back when nothing mattered."

"I know we've changed, but change can be so good," AndrAIa reminded them. **_"So let's not forget why it's understood that —"_**

AndrAIa and Matrix sang again:****

"Time, look where we are and what we've been through. 

Time, sharing our dreams — 

Sharing every little bit of life with you. 

Time goes on and on every day. 

Time is what it is, come what may (come what may)." 

They turned to Dot and sang,

**__**

"So here we are (here we are)

And we'll always stay together.

And through it all you know we owe it all to you, you, you, you

Time goes on and on.

__

"Time, look where we are and what we've been through. 

Time, sharing our dreams — 

Sharing every little bit of life with you. 

Time goes on and on every day. 

Time is what it is, come what may (come what may).

**__**

"Time, look where we are and what we've been through. 

Time, sharing our dreams — 

Sharing every little bit of life with you. 

Time goes on and on every day. 

Time is what it is, come what may (come what may)." 

Dot smiled, feeling relief as a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. Looking at her brother and AndrAIa, she finished with a smile on her face:

**__**

"Time, goes on and on everyday, 

Time is what it is

Come what may.

"Come what may."

"Things are pretty strange for us, too," Matrix assured her. "But . . . we can get through it together, right?"

Her confidence reaffirmed, Dot nodded. "We're Matrixes, after all, and Mainframers; we stick together." She sighed, feeling a blissful amount of relief. "You'll always be my brother, Enzo; and AndrAIa, you're like a sister already. Thank you."

****

* * *

The flame-haired hacker hummed a Southern tune to herself as her fingers danced over the keyboard in an almost casual way. One look at her face, however, showed the concentration she held in maintaining the codes that would shield Mainframe from outside forces.

A red light flashed on the console, alerting Mouse to an incoming message. With half her attention still following the codes around Mainframe, the hacker freed one hand to press a button. The face of a CPU stared back at her. He nodded and said, "Message for Dot Matrix."

"She's not here, so Ah'll take the message," Mouse said. 

"All right," the CPU said. "We've lost the signal with the Surfr and the pirates." He continued, not noticing the small gasp that escaped Mouse. "The signal's been wavering as they went out into the Net, but now it's completely disappeared. We have no idea where they've gone."

"Ah'll . . . tell Dot," Mouse said in barely above a whisper.

The CPU nodded, and his image disappeared.

Mouse's hand moved unconsciously, to close the VidWindow and return to shielding for the system. She punched in an automatic code and moved away from the console, walking as if in a trance.

Mouse leaned heavily against the wall and tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes in anguish.

**__**

"When the day is long and the night,

The night is yours alone," she started to sing,****

"When you're sure you've had enough of this life, 

Well hang on. 

Don't let yourself go, 

Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes." 

Why did she feel like this? It felt as if her chest were too small for her heart; it constricted painfully. The words she sang hardly helped her through the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her. Mouse tried again, even though the words sounded false to her own ears; if she stopped singing, she didn't know how else she would react to the grief.

**__**

"Sometimes everything is wrong. 

Now it's time to sing along. 

When your day is night alone, 

(hold on, hold on)," she whispered to convince herself.

**__**

"If you feel like letting go, 

(hold on) 

When you think you've had too much of this life, 

Well hang on."

Filled with a new sense of happiness, Dot left her office; Bob was right, she deserved a break. _I'll check on how Mouse is doing with those codes,_ she decided. _If things are good, maybe she can come to the Diner with me._

When Dot entered the War Room, she found her friend leaning against the wall, with her eyes closed and her breath coming fast. Dot's first fear was some sort of disaster, and she hurriedly scanned the room for evidence of attack or destruction. There was nothing to support her worry, though, and she immediately turned to Mouse, who had slid quietly to the floor, her head buried in her arms.

"Mouse? Mouse, what's happened?" Dot asked, dropping to her friend's side. "Mouse, tell me."

Mouse lifted her head. "Theyr'e gone," she replied in a dead-sounding voice. "We lost the signal with Ray and the pirates. The CPUs have no idea if they're hurt, or deleted . . ."

"Oh, Mouse," Dot whispered.

**__**

"Everybody hurts. 

Take comfort in your friends." Mouse had always been there for her during the war; now Dot felt she had to return the favor.

**__**

"Everybody hurts. 

Don't throw your hand. 

Oh, no. 

Don't throw your hand." It was the beginning of everything that could go wrong; but they couldn't lose Mouse, not now.

**__**

"If you feel like you're alone, 

No, no, no, you are not alone.

"If you're on your own in this life, 

The days and nights are long, 

When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on." 

Mouse smiled at her friend, thankful for the comfort. She grabbed Dot's hand; the two women closed their eyes, sharing their pain.

**__**

"Well, everybody hurts sometimes, 

Everybody cries. 

And everybody hurts sometimes. 

And everybody hurts sometimes. 

So, hold on, hold on. 

Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on. 

Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. . . ." 

Mouse closed her eyes and let her breathing slow to normal.

Dot rubbed her back reassuringly. "Everybody hurts, Mouse," she whispered. "You are not alone."

* * *

"Matrix?"

The renegade turned and saw Enzo standing at the doorway. He gritted his teeth in frustration and started toward his backup, saying, "Look, Kid . . ."

"I _told_ you, don't call me Kid," Enzo interrupted. He dropped his head and made circles with his left foot on the floor. "I wanted to talk to you after our . . . um, fight . . ."

"What?" Matrix hadn't meant for it to sound _that_ harsh, but he didn't really feel like talking to Enzo now.

Enzo sighed in frustration. His head snapped up, and he said, "Look — I know you hate me, and all. But I think it's _cool_ to have a big me around. So, whatever you feel — I'm okay with having you here, so you could be _nicer_ about it, at least." Finished with his mini-speech, Enzo stared at his older self, watching for his reaction.

Matrix felt the barest stirring of shame at his attitude; yet, he was reminded of a particular dream in which his backup had scolded him, like right now. He swallowed several times, trying to figure out an answer. Finally, he assumed a nonchalant expression and muttered, while staring at the ground, "I'll try. But I'm not making any promises. . . ."

Enzo crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine," he responded. 

Enzo Matrix stared at Enzo Matrix. After the staring contest had dragged on for several nanoseconds, Enzo uncrossed his arms and announced, "So . . . we're okay, then."

"All right," Matrix replied curtly, and Enzo knew it was the best he was going to get.

* * *

A blue screen powered by energy jumped up around the Principle Office. The shield remained around the Principle Office for a full millisecond for all the citizens of Mainframe to see before it quietly lowered, leaving the P.O. open again.

"Shields around the Principle Office are fully functional," Mouse announced triumphantly. She stood inside the War Room, the "official" meeting place for all the planning against Daemon, with all the other sprites around her. "And Ship's filled with the firewall starters, ready for whenever we need `em."

"Phase One completed," Phong added with a smile. He looked at the other sprites and the resident virus, and his eyes fell on Matrix and AndrAIa. "We must continue with the planning."

"Yeah," Bob agreed. He took a deep breath. "It's time to go."

Matrix nodded, his eyes flicking to the door that led to the hangars; his and AndrAIa's bikes sat there waiting to be used.

Enzo, standing with Frisket, looked down at the floor. _Was Matrix so eager to be away from Mainframe?_ the little sprite wondered sadly.

"I'll get the portals ready," Bob said — Dot swallowed thickly — then he and Matrix and AndrAIa turned to leave through the doorway — Dot had thought that she had resolved her conflict with Matrix and AndrAIa, but her chest tightened nonetheless --

"You can't," Dot spoke up suddenly. She had meant for her voice to be a strong command, but it came out as a soft, pathetic whisper.

"Dot," Matrix said, giving her an incredulous look, "we _have_ to. We have to do this if we want to defeat Daemon and save the Net."

__

Who cares about the Net? Dot raged inside.

"What about . . . what about when you get infected?" Dot asked. It was as if the dam that had been blocking her emotions had suddenly opened, and all her worries spilled out. "You can't say that you won't. So, what then? I can't lose you all; you've only just come back, Bob, Enzo. I don't want you risking your lives," she whispered, aware of how selfish she sounded and not caring. She raised her chin and declared,

**__**

"I'm only pretty sure that I can't take anymore 

Before you take a swing.

I wonder what are we fighting for 

When I say out loud,

I want to get out of this.'

I wonder is there anything 

I'm going to miss.

"I wonder how it's going to be 

When you don't know me.

How's it going to be.

When you're sure I'm not there 

How's it going to be ."

Dot paused and let her words sink in. She looked at Bob and continued to sing, her voice full of passion:

**__**

"When there's no one there to talk to 

Between you and me.

Cause I don't care.

How's it going to be, 

How's it going to be."

What happened to her childhood — or Enzo's, or AndrAIa's? Memories surfaced in Dot's mind. She remembered when Enzo was an innocent child, when she and Bob had progressed from friends to . . . something more. The memories were so many, and so happy; yet so painful when she compared them to all the suffering they had been through, and the battles that were yet to come.

**__**

"Where we used to laugh," Dot sang;

**__**

"There's a shouting match;

Sharp as a thumbnail scratch." She saw the expression on Matrix's face change, and she could feel that he understood her feelings, at least slightly.

**__**

"A silence I can't ignore. 

Like the hammock by the 

Doorway we spent time in, swings empty. 

Don't see lightning like last fall

When it was always about to hit me. 

"I wonder how's it going to be 

When it goes down." She didn't want to have depressing thoughts, but they were all coming out in an emotional rush.

**__**

"How's it going to be 

When you're not around. 

How's it going to be 

When you found out there was nothing 

Between you and me. 

Cause I don't care.

"How's it going to be. 

And how's it going to be 

When you don't know me anymore. 

And how's it going to be 

Want to get myself back in again."

Dot could lose Bob in this war against Daemon; he could be infected and gone from her life forever. Dot had almost lost Bob, in the first war; she had to fight to keep him here.

****

"How's it going to be 

When you don't know me anymore. 

How's it going to be, 

How's it going to be, 

How's it going to be."

"Dot, that won't happen," Bob said. "I won't let it happen, to any of us." He reached for her and was surprised when, after what he had said to her, she still subtly moved away. "You don't have to worry, Dot."

"War can make you like that," she said, the bitterness in her voice startling even her. "Mouse and Phong know what I'm talking about." She began to sing again, expressing all her hurt and worry in simple, harsh terms.

**__**

"You live you learn.

You love you learn.

You cry you learn.

You lose you learn.

You bleed you learn.

You scream you learn.

"You grieve you learn.

You choke you learn.

You laugh you learn.

You choose you learn.

You pray you learn.

You ask you learn.

You live you learn."

When she finished, she spread her hands, as if trying to gain their understanding. "I've seen so much — _we've_ _all_ experienced so much pain, and loss. Do we want to start that again?"

"No," AndrAIa answered, staring compassionately at the sprite that had been somewhat of a mother to her when she was younger and who was now like her sister.

"Why do we have to do this?" Enzo asked dejectedly. Dot smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around her brother. "Why can't someone else do it?" Enzo continued.

Dot sighed. "We never said we wanted to, Enzo," she answered, "but we're the only ones who know about Daemon's threat; and at the moment, we're the ones who are most prepared to fight her. We are," she repeated, to convince herself.

AndrAIa smiled sadly and started, 

**__**

"I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naïve

I'm just out to find

The better part of me."

**__**

"I'm more than a bird," Dot sighed. She knew they wouldn't listen to her pleas, but she did know that her friends and family shared her feelings, and she was content to share with them.

**__**

"I'm more than a plane.

More than some pretty face beside a train.

And it's not easy to be me."

"Wish that I could cry," Bob sang. Dot started to smile, comforted by the fact that he agreed with her. Bob continued,

**__**

"Fall upon my knees.

Find a way to lie

About a home I'll never see.

"It may sound absurd, but don't be naïve.

Even heroes have the right to bleed."

Matrix urged, **_"I may be absurd, but won't you conceive_**

"Even heroes have the right to dream.

And it's not easy to be me."

Mouse eyed the others skeptically. As her eyes passed over the sprites, Dot caught her gaze and held it. Now Mouse found herself the one whose mind was being read. The meaningful look from her friend clearly said, _You also know what the pain feels like._ Mouse sighed resignedly, and she saw the hint of a smile appear on Dot's face. Mouse leaned against the console and joined in with the song.

**__**

"Up, up and away . . . away from me ," she sang wistfully.

**__**

"It's all right. . . . You can all sleep sound tonight. 

I'm not crazy . . . or anything . . ."

"I can't stand to fly," Hexadecimal spoke up, reprising AndrAIa's verse. Dot wondered how the insane, albeit registered, virus could understand her pain. She kept quiet, however.

**__**

"I'm not that naïve.

Men weren't meant to ride

With clouds between their knees."

Phong gave the virus a glance before turning to the other sprites and declaring,

**__**

"I'm only a man in a silly red sheet 

Digging for kryptonite on this one way street.

Only a man in a funny red sheet 

Looking for special things inside of me."

"Inside of me," they all echoed. There was a little bit of confusion as to Phong's choice of words, but they all dismissed it as another of his odd sayings. The sprites smiled at one another, sharing in the warm feeling of companionship among them.

****

"I'm only a man in a funny red sheet . . ."

"I'm only a man looking for a dream . . ."

"I'm only a man in a funny red sheet . . ."

"And it's not easy —"

The final line they all sang together: **_"It's not easy to be me."_**

It wasn't easy to be any sprite in Mainframe; they all had their problems, both individual and together. But Mainframe had endured a whole war already; there was no doubt that the system would stick together to fight the Daemon threat and save the Net.

Song List:

"Wonderful," Everclear

"Stuck In a Moment," U2

"The Promise" (snippet), When In Rome

"I'm Like a Bird," Nelly Furtado

"I Want Love," Elton John

"You're Still the One," Shania Twain

"The Promise," When In Rome

"How's It Going to Be" (snippet), Third Eye Blind

"This Is How You Remind Me," Nickelback

"Standing In the Way," Buffy: The Musical

"Time," Backstreet Boys

"Everybody Hurts," REM

"How's It Going To Be," Third Eye Blind

"You Learn," Alanis Morisette

"Superman," Five for Fighting


End file.
